Changes to the GRE coming this summer

Students can expect to see changes to the computer-based GRE test this summer.

On or after August 31, degree seekers will be able to take the revised edition of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

The test promises to be easier for students to use than the older design, according to the Educational Testing Service (ETS). With the revised edition, individuals can edit and skip answers within a particular section. There will also be a calculator available on the computer screen.

New question types will be added to the verbal and quantitative reasoning section. According to the ETS, the problems will be based more on real-life issues and promote the kind of thinking students will be expected to use in grad school.

The GRE will feature a new scoring system as well. The verbal and quantitative reasoning scores will now be on one-point scales rather than their former 10-point scales, said the ETS. With this new point system, colleges and universities can better compare applicants in terms of test scores.

The GRE is taken as part of many applications to a graduate program or a business school, according to the ETS.

Examples of higher education programs that frequently require GRE scores as part of the application process include Duke Graduate School, Harvard Business School and the University of Minnesota Graduate School, according to their websites.